Bai Lanxue and Ilya shared the same stance on the war: waiting for everyone else to fight to the death so they could reap the benefits. Once the fighting started, Bai Lanxue settled down calmly to her duties as Secretary-General, adopting an air of complete detachment from external affairs.

Only those close to her knew that she had already finalized war plans; everything was in place, just waiting for the opportune moment.

Currently, over sixty legions had joined the fray. Five legions had already become history, and eight legions had lost at least two star systems, thirty percent of which were seized by the Interstellar Federation.

This time, the Interstellar Federation Commander, Karu, personally led the campaign, ostensibly searching for the remains of General Molin, driving his heavily armed warships to crush any opposition in space.

Bai Lanxue watched the Interstellar Federation warships on the light screen and let out a faint, dismissive smile.

No one knew that her true objective this time was the elimination of the Federation Commander.

Eliminate the Commander, and the position of Federation President would be hers for the taking!

She raised her hand, shaping it like a pistol, pointed it at Karu’s command vessel, and whispered, "Bang. Next, it’s you."

Just then, her assistant sent a message: "Secretary-General, we’ve found the root of the Wolf’s Den!"

Bai Lanxue’s spirit jolted. She closed the light screen and strode out the door with an imposing bearing, asking, "Who are these people?"

The assistant opened the files and flattered her, "Secretary-General, your foresight is unmatched. We found the route to Silver Crest within the secret files of the Wolf’s Den Legion."

Bai Lanxue brought the light screen closer, flipping through the data. First was the profile of A'Piao, followed by Little Small, then Red Hair, the Operations Director of Wolf’s Den, and the recently sprouted Blackbeard... Finally, she reached Ziye, and there it was: the route map Siyatu used to reach Silver Crest.

Bai Lanxue smiled faintly.

When the Sprout Group first appeared, she hadn't given them much thought, but the kidnapping of Tang Wen made her distinctly sense something unusual lurking beneath the surface.

Hijacking a smuggling ship belonging to the Fia family and framing the Interstellar Federation—such a feat was beyond the capabilities of ordinary individuals.

Her team's investigation later revealed that the Queen-type mechs originated from the Sprout Group.

At that moment, she began to regard the Sprout Group as a formidable opponent.

But it was then that the Wolf’s Den was established.

For any legion to form, decades of arduous cultivation were usually necessary. Yet, there was no prior intelligence regarding the Wolf’s Den before its public inception.

Those people seemed to have materialized out of thin air.

Space technology advanced so rapidly that secrets were impossible to keep. For that group to remain completely unknown before forming a legion, they must have either operated beyond known space or operated under the guise of other established legions.

For the sake of retribution, Bai Lanxue resolved herself and dispatched an entire intelligence team to infiltrate the Sprout Group and the Wolf’s Den for information.

Heaven rewards the diligent. After half a year of effort, they finally made contact with an elder from the past—Little Small.

It was from that moment that Bai Lanxue understood the source of these people’s formidable strength. It was also from that moment that she solidified her resolve to win over the other prisoners on Silver Crest to her side.

The prisoners on Silver Crest had all been incarcerated by the Interstellar Federation. She reviewed the files, highlighted the key individuals, devised the necessary incentives to compel their service, and simultaneously tasked her intelligence department with finding a way into Silver Crest.

Now, the route was secured.

The most difficult step was complete.

Bai Lanxue looked up at the stars above, a smile of absolute certainty gracing her lips.

Silver Crest—excellent!

She lowered her gaze and commanded with gravity, "Prepare the fleet. We are proceeding to Silver Crest."

The assistant noted it down and inquired, "Who will command the fleet this time?"

Bai Lanxue replied, "I will command it personally!"

The assistant showed a flicker of surprise but offered no argument, decisively beginning the mobilization.

One hour later, a fleet of ten warships moved out with great momentum toward Siyatu Star.

From Siyatu to the wormhole, there was an interstellar track constructed by the Angel Domain.

As Bai Lanxue traveled along the track, she couldn't help but ask, "Investigate which corporation was responsible for this interstellar track. Such professional engineering—could Silver Crest already be established as a tourist planet?"

The assistant had this information already memorized, "This was a project for the Angel Air Force assembly workshop. It seems the President personally approved it."

Bai Lanxue snorted inwardly and coldly stated, "Bomb it!"

The assistant looked bewildered, "If we bomb it, how will we get through?"

Bai Lanxue narrowed her eyes at the screen, "This interstellar track requires the activation of an induction field; it’s clearly for private use. Why keep it?"

The assistant hastily replied, "Yes!" and ordered the bombardment of the interstellar track.

Two frigates scouted ahead, followed by four battleships, which unleashed a barrage against the track while Bai Lanxue’s command ship observed from the rear.

The interstellar track was equipped with the most advanced alert system.

As the bombardment began, the alarm system immediately signaled the induction field terminals and the construction and maintenance departments of the Angel Domain’s interstellar track division.

The construction department rapidly dispatched stealth bombers to investigate. Upon emergence, they saw the fleet bearing the Interstellar Federation insignia and knew trouble had arrived, immediately reporting to Lan Li.

Lan Li heard the report and chuckled coldly, "It’s just a small fleet. Whoever they are, send ten stealth bombers. Blast them into space debris and then salvage them for breakdown." Then, as if recalling something, he added, "If they cannot be destroyed, issue an emergency recall to all military personnel stationed at the training base on Silver Crest to return to space."

Having given his orders, Lan Li immediately convened an emergency combat meeting.

Attacking the interstellar track leading from Siyatu to Silver Crest was, by all indications, an extremely dangerous signal!

Regardless of what follow-up actions the construction department took, they now had Lan Li’s orders, which bolstered their courage. They rapidly assembled personnel and formed a stealth bomber fleet to encircle Bai Lanxue’s fleet.

Bai Lanxue was no fool, either.

Her primary reason for ordering the track’s destruction was to ascertain the owner—to see who dared to act so brazenly and arrogantly on Interstellar Federation territory.

After the first round of bombing, she checked the time, knowing someone should have reacted by now, and ordered, "All units, execute warp jump and vacate the interstellar track."

Thus, the stealth bomber fleet arrived to find an empty void.

Bai Lanxue’s contingent reached the vicinity of the wormhole. The captain of the forward frigate reported, "Secretary-General, the path ahead is treacherous. The battleships are too large; it might prove difficult."

Bai Lanxue examined the route map and inquired, "What kind of craft did they use to enter Silver Crest previously?"

The assistant replied, "For such a rugged route, only mechs would suffice." He paused, then added, "I have ten mechs prepared in the hangar bays, ready for immediate use."

Bai Lanxue shook her head, "No. We are taking the battleships down. Given how rapidly those people developed their space technology, using mechs might not compel them to yield."

The assistant pondered, "If that is the case, we must use the Dada route we previously utilized for prisoner transport."

-RS